The FBI has determined that all three kidnapping-related messages that surfaced in news reports about the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's elderly mother are fake, an FBI official told Reuters on Tuesday. The assessment covers two ransom notes reported in early February after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie vanished, and a third recent message from someone claiming to know the kidnappers' identities.
FBI Assessment of Inauthenticity
“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an active investigation. A second law enforcement source confirmed the assessment. The disclosure raises doubts about investigators’ fundamental premise that Nancy Guthrie was abducted for ransom.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which leads the overall investigation, declined to comment, citing an agreement to refer all inquiries about ransom notes to the FBI. “We don’t have any updates, other than this is still an active investigation,” said Angelica Carrillo, adding that DNA samples and video evidence “remain under forensic analysis.”
Origin of the Messages
All three messages were initially delivered to media outlets, including TMZ.com, before being turned over to authorities. Savannah Guthrie, 54, co-anchor of NBC's “Today,” has referenced ransom demands in video messages posted on social media, urging kidnappers to open direct communication and pleading for her mother’s return, saying “we will pay.”
Nancy Guthrie, who was in frail health with limited mobility, was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31, after an evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law.
Cryptocurrency Payment Went Unclaimed
The FBI had previously declined to comment on the credibility of the messages. Investigators determined the first two notes originated from the same sender, though the basis for that conclusion was not specified. The first note, reported by TMZ, demanded a sum “in the millions” in cryptocurrency with deadlines on February 5 and February 9. The second note, reported by NBC News, referred to Guthrie as having died, without demanding payment for her body.
To test the first note’s authenticity, the FBI deposited a small amount of cryptocurrency in an account as instructed, but the money was never taken. Based on that and other unspecified means, the FBI concluded the two notes were sent by someone not connected to Guthrie’s disappearance.
Third Note Also Fake
The FBI also discounted a third note received by TMZ from someone claiming to know the kidnappers’ identities and have video of the “main guy” and the victim on the day she died. The FBI official did not explain how that note was ruled out.
Reacting to the ransom note headlines, Savannah Guthrie appealed on her show for public help, reminding viewers of the $1 million reward offered by her family, who are in “agony” since her mother vanished.
Authorities confirmed that DNA tests showed blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch was hers. Media attention waned after mid-February when surveillance footage of an armed prowler in a ski mask tampering with her doorbell camera was released. DNA from a glove found near her home did not match any known profiles in a national database. Savannah Guthrie later said her family was still “blowing on the embers of hope” that her mother was alive, while acknowledging “she may already be gone.”
